Frontiers in Genetics (Jun 2021)

Investigating Transcriptional Dynamics Changes and Time-Dependent Marker Gene Expression in the Early Period After Skeletal Muscle Injury in Rats

  • Kang Ren,
  • Kang Ren,
  • Liangliang Wang,
  • Liang Wang,
  • Qiuxiang Du,
  • Jie Cao,
  • Qianqian Jin,
  • Guoshuai An,
  • Na Li,
  • Lihong Dang,
  • Yingjie Tian,
  • Yingyuan Wang,
  • Junhong Sun

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.650874
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Following skeletal muscle injury (SMI), from post-injury reaction to repair consists of a complex series of dynamic changes. However, there is a paucity of research on detailed transcriptional dynamics and time-dependent marker gene expression in the early stages after SMI. In this study, skeletal muscle tissue in rats was taken at 4 to 48 h after injury for next-generation sequencing. We examined the transcriptional kinetics characteristics during above time periods after injury. STEM and maSigPro were used to screen time-correlated genes. Integrating 188 time-correlated genes with 161 genes in each time-related gene module by WGCNA, we finally identified 18 network-node regulatory genes after SMI. Histological staining analyses confirmed the mechanisms underlying changes in the tissue damage to repair process. Our research linked a variety of dynamic biological processes with specific time periods and provided insight into the characteristics of transcriptional dynamics, as well as screened time-related biological indicators with biological significance in the early stages after SMI.

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